Tuesday, March 18, 2014

#SochiProblems

Written by Korbel student Alex

If you use social media apps, like Twitter or Instagram, you’ve likely seen the popular “hash tag” used in the title of this blog. If not, then you’ve still likely heard about some of the problems running up to and during the Sochi Olympics in Russia: anti-gay laws, rounding up stray dogs, dirty water, incomplete hotels and unseasonably warm weather. The high visibility of these issues cannot bode well for Russian President Vladimir Putin as he was hoping the Olympics would give him a much-needed boost in favorability ratings.

Gallup tracked Americans’ opinions on Mr. Putin, and it’s not shocking to find that in a recent survey conducted February 6-9, his unfavorable ratings reached an all-time high amongst Americans (63%). While this could be problematic for his credibility amongst foreign policymakers in the West, it doesn’t seem that American opinion has deterred him from making bold moves on his own (i.e., his intervention with Syria).

Before #SochiProblems garnered worldwide attention, however, another Gallup poll conducted July 8-August 3, 2013 of 2,000 Russian adults showed that Putin’s approval rating sat at a relatively low 54% (after a high of 83% in 2008). The survey shows that Putin’s popularity at home has been consistently waning amidst his controversial transitions between president and prime minister.

As the Winter Olympics have brought the world media’s attention into Putin’s backyard, he will have to please not only the Russian public, but also the world. Hosting the Olympics provides an opportunity for leaders to prove they are gracious hosts, supporters of cultural diversity and worthy of future political and business partnerships. However, if the emergence of #SochiProblems takes hold, accompanied by his rising unfavorable ratings at home and in the United States, it appears that Mr. Putin has a tough road ahead.

Ciruli Associates

Floyd Ciruli founded Ciruli Associates, a research and consulting firm specializing in public policy and research, in 1985.

Mr. Ciruli holds a law degree from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and a bachelor’s degree cum laude in political science from UCLA. He is a member of the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), and is the past-president of the Pacific Chapter of AAPOR (PAPOR). Mr. Ciruli is the Director of the Crossley Center for Public Opinion Research at the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies. He is an adjunct professor teaching public opinion and foreign policy. Mr. Ciruli is a board member of the Social Science Foundation of the University of Denver Josef Korbel School of International Studies and past-president of the Georgetown Law Alumni Board.

Mr. Ciruli is widely known to Colorado audiences as a pollster and political analyst for 9-KUSA TV, KOA Radio and The Denver Post. Most recently, he has appeared on Fox News with Neil Cavuto. In September 2016, Mr. Ciruli was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame. He hosts the state’s leading blog for politics and trends at www.fciruli.blogspot.com.